Not-for-profit Partnerships

New agreements with Open City, City Gateway and Oitij-jo Collective will see the Republic Campus facilitate more space for all three organisations to provide or extend their programmes across London.

Oitij-jo Collective will run Bangla focused events, exhibits and craft workshops in a ground floor retail unit. City Gateway will continue to expand it’s programme of remote work placements for young people and Open City have already moved their administrative offices into the ninth floor of the Import Building.

Both Open City and Oitij-jo Collective have plans to host programmes of public cultural events using indoor and outdoor spaces at Republic when lockdown restrictions end.

Open City and Oitij-jo Collective join an existing community of third-sector organisations at Republic, which includes the existing City Gateway training facility for young people and Shelterbox– a charity focused on providing emergency shelter in response to natural disasters.

Robert Wolstenholme, Founder and CEO of Trilogy Said:

“The workplace of the future is about so much more than work – these partnerships support our ambition to make Republic a place for encounters, where people are able to come together to experience and learn in new ways, then carry this creative energy into their work. We’re delighted that we’re able to provide Oitij-jo Collective, Open City and City Gateway with premises so that they can continue the work that they do to enrich the lives of Londoners with their programmes of culture, education and community activity.

 “At Trilogy we take the issue of social responsibility seriously and our aim with Republic is to create a mixed innovation district, where we bring together the creative, knowledge and skills sectors to create a campus with genuine potential to power the future economy of London. The strength of our ties to the local community is important to us. One of the most exciting opportunities for Republic is to attract, harness and, if needed, upskill the diverse talent of Tower Hamlets”

Maher Anjum, Project lead for Oitij-jo Collective, said:

 “I visited Republic in 2018, when Oitij-jo Collective was selected through The Trampery’s ‘Creative Pioneer’ programme and we got a desk space for six months. Could not believe our luck as the space in Import Building was amazing and we received a lot of support to launch our crowdfunding bid to initiate the TATI food project. The support from Republic continued in 2019 when TATI held its first public food testing event in Import building.

 “In late 2019, Trilogy approached us later in the year to see if we would be interested in one of the units. Discussions were stalled due to COVID in 2020 but we approached Trilogy in summer to hold our TATI Textile workshops. The space was just right for us and everyone who attended loved being there and we had full attendance for the course. Having this space, which we can call our home, but also hold all the craft and creative activities from is something we never thought would happen and is now a reality.”

Adam Sage, Business Development Manager at City Gateway, said:

 “The pandemic has hugely impacted the career prospects of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The additional workspace at Republic has been instrumental in providing remote work placements for young people currently facing difficulties securing sustained employment. 

 “Many young people also lack the technology and suitable conditions for remote working, which is why the work placements we provide aim to reduce the ‘digital divide’ and ensure all young people get the same access into the job market, regardless of their background. We have already seen great results, with a number of our trainees already progressing into full-time jobs and apprenticeships! We would like to thank Trilogy for their help making this happen.”

About the organisations

Oitij-jo Collective is a not-for-profit community organisation, currently applying for charity status, that looks to create opportunities for entrepreneurship, business development through creative projects, training, mentoring and networks, especially in London and Bangladesh. It has been offered a retail unit in order to set up TATI Textiles, a traditional Bangla textiles and other creative practices craft workshop, as part of its TATI project for Bangladeshi, BAME women in particular, but also for wider public in Tower Hamlets and the neighbouring boroughs. The circa 1,200 sq ft unit follows a series of pop-up events and residencies hosted at Republic, including food and handcraft workshops.

Open City is a charity that works with architecture and urban design to make the built environment more accessible and inclusive. In addition to organising the hugely popular London Open House Weekend, which reaches 250,000 participants annually, Open City carries out a year-round series of programmes to make the experience of the city more engaging and accessible. Through its learning programmes, Open City champions architecture within education to create wider participation and diversity in the built environment professions. Open City will move into circa 900 sq ft of office space with panoramic views of London on the ninth floor of recently the refurbished Import Building.

City Gateway is a charity working with young people, women and families to give them the skills, experience and qualifications they need to achieve their ambitions. City Gateway runs a successful programme of work placements for young people, in partnership with a number of top employers in the city. This additional space at Republic will be used to secure the continuity of this programme, offering young people access to a professional environment when they are unable to access suitable working from home facilities.

Open City and Oitij-jo Collective will contribute to the cultural life of Republic by hosting community events within the campus, bringing their unique approach to education and participation to the campus to strengthen ties to the local community and add to the proposition that Republic is a place where education meets business.